Speaker Faustino Dy III on Friday assured the public that the 2026 national budget is being crafted with full transparency and accountability, as the House of Representatives has put in place new systems to open the budget process to public scrutiny and strengthen oversight during implementation.
In a radio interview, Dy said one of his first reforms he instituted as Speaker of the 20th Congress was the creation of the Budget Amendments and Revisions Sub-Committee (BARSc) — the body tasked to review and realign appropriations — and the decision to livestream all its proceedings so that every Filipino can see how lawmakers deliberate and realign funds.
“Isa na po rito ang ginagawa po natin, meron po tayong livestream habang ginagawa po itong BARSc… at doon ho makikita at maririnig ng ating mga kababayan kung papaano isinasaayos ang budget (One of these is already being implemented, we livestream the deliberations of the BARSc… and our countrymen could see and hear how the budgets is being crafted,” Dy said.
He said this ensures that adjustments in the national budget are aligned with the Marcos administration’s priority programs, including the reallocation of recovered funds from flood-control projects to initiatives that directly benefit communities.
The Speaker added that the 2026 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) is also being deliberated in open, livestreamed plenary sessions, allowing citizens and civil society organizations to follow the process.
Beyond transparency during deliberations, Dy said the House is working with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to develop a system for monitoring how agencies implement the budget once enacted.
“Nakikipag-ugnayan tayo sa DICT na kung saan baka merong mga sistema na namo-monitor. Kasi po iba rin po ‘yung naipasa nga natin ‘yung budget, papaano naman po ‘yung implementation (We are coordinating with the DICT for a monitoring system. We may have passed the budget, but how about the implementation),” he said, underscoring the need to monitor how programs are implemented on the ground.
He said the system will help prevent substandard projects and ghost spending by allowing real-time tracking of projects nationwide.
He also cited the importance of cooperation of all citizens and civil societies in safeguarding and monitoring government projects.
The House will take up the 2026 national budget on second reading Friday afternoon in a session to be livestreamed for the public.
The livestreamed deliberations, Dy said, are intended to allow citizens and civil society groups to observe how lawmakers scrutinize and refine the government’s spending plan. (PNA)